Centuries Before Waze: The Illustrated Scroll That Guided Pilgrims in the Holy Land
It's well documented that the Zionist movement stressed the importance of geographic knowledge of the Land of Israel in the 20th century, but there was in fact a precedent for this kind of thing: From the Middle Ages and up to the 17th century, a literary genre existed that provided a valuable service to Jewish pilgrims who made their way to the Holy Land. These Jews came from all over the world to visit the various holy places and tombs of sages and rabbis spread throughout the land and the surrounding region. The distribution of these written and illustrated works also served to help raise funds among Jews in the Diaspora for those living in the Land of Israel.
Among the many works of this type, one stands out: the “Yichus Ha'Avot [lit. Lineage of the Forefathers]” Scroll, otherwise known by its full title: “Yichus Ha’avot Vehanevi’im Vehatzadikim Vehatana’aim Ve’amora’im, Aleihim Hashalom, Be’eretz Yisrael Ubechutza La’Aretz, Hashem Ya’amid Lanu Zechutam, Amen [Lineage of the Forefathers and the Prophets and the Righteous and the Tana’aim and the Amora’im, May They Rest in Peace, in the Land of Israel and Outside the Land, May God Establish Their Merit for Us, Amen].”
It's well documented that the Zionist movement stressed the importance of geographic knowledge of the Land of Israel in the 20th century, but there was in fact a precedent for this kind of thing: From the Middle Ages and up to the 17th century, a literary genre existed that provided a valuable service to Jewish pilgrims who made their way to the Holy Land. These Jews came from all over the world to visit the various holy places and tombs of sages and rabbis spread throughout the land and the surrounding region. The distribution of these written and illustrated works also served to help raise funds among Jews in the Diaspora for those living in the Land of Israel.
Among the many works of this type, one stands out: the “Yichus Ha'Avot [lit. Lineage of the Forefathers]” Scroll, otherwise known by its full title: “Yichus Ha’avot Vehanevi’im Vehatzadikim Vehatana’aim Ve’amora’im, Aleihim Hashalom, Be’eretz Yisrael Ubechutza La’Aretz, Hashem Ya’amid Lanu Zechutam, Amen [Lineage of the Forefathers and the Prophets and the Righteous and the Tana’aim and the Amora’im, May They Rest in Peace, in the Land of Israel and Outside the Land, May God Establish Their Merit for Us, Amen].”
It's well documented that the Zionist movement stressed the importance of geographic knowledge of the Land of Israel in the 20th century, but there was in fact a precedent for this kind of thing: From the Middle Ages and up to the 17th century, a literary genre existed that provided a valuable service to Jewish pilgrims who made their way to the Holy Land. These Jews came from all over the world to visit the various holy places and tombs of sages and rabbis spread throughout the land and the surrounding region. The distribution of these written and illustrated works also served to help raise funds among Jews in the Diaspora for those living in the Land of Israel.
Among the many works of this type, one stands out: the “Yichus Ha'Avot [lit. Lineage of the Forefathers]” Scroll, otherwise known by its full title: “Yichus Ha’avot Vehanevi’im Vehatzadikim Vehatana’aim Ve’amora’im, Aleihim Hashalom, Be’eretz Yisrael Ubechutza La’Aretz, Hashem Ya’amid Lanu Zechutam, Amen [Lineage of the Forefathers and the Prophets and the Righteous and the Tana’aim and the Amora’im, May They Rest in Peace, in the Land of Israel and Outside the Land, May God Establish Their Merit for Us, Amen].”
The scroll was copied many times, and unlike many other such works, it was unique in the illustrations adorning it. Fewer than ten manuscript copies of the scroll remain of the many that used to exist, and three of them – written as scrolls – are kept at the National Library of Israel. There are slight variations in the text among the copies.
According to scholars, the most interesting of the three copies was created in the city of Tzfat or Safed in 1564 CE, by Uri Bar Shimon of Biale, a "Shadar" (a messenger sent from the Land of Israel to raise funds from Jewish communities abroad). Here’s what Ben Shimon wrote at the end of the manuscript:
“I copied this letter by letter from a letter completed in [1537 CE] and as I myself have been in most of the places mentioned above and I saw that none of his words fell to the ground [i.e., were found to be wrong or mistaken] and all his words were [in the general direction of truth] I believed him also on the rest and I copied it all [with great necessity] and this was on the fifth day [Thursday] on Taanit Esther in [the y]ear 5324 since Creation, here, Tzfat, [may it be built and established quickly in our day], said Uri Bar Rabbi Shimon of Bila.”
The scroll was copied many times, and unlike many other such works, it was unique in the illustrations adorning it. Fewer than ten manuscript copies of the scroll remain of the many that used to exist, and three of them – written as scrolls – are kept at the National Library of Israel. There are slight variations in the text among the copies.
According to scholars, the most interesting of the three copies was created in the city of Tzfat or Safed in 1564 CE, by Uri Bar Shimon of Biale, a "Shadar" (a messenger sent from the Land of Israel to raise funds from Jewish communities abroad). Here’s what Ben Shimon wrote at the end of the manuscript:
“I copied this letter by letter from a letter completed in [1537 CE] and as I myself have been in most of the places mentioned above and I saw that none of his words fell to the ground [i.e., were found to be wrong or mistaken] and all his words were [in the general direction of truth] I believed him also on the rest and I copied it all [with great necessity] and this was on the fifth day [Thursday] on Taanit Esther in [the y]ear 5324 since Creation, here, Tzfat, [may it be built and established quickly in our day], said Uri Bar Rabbi Shimon of Bila.”
The scroll was copied many times, and unlike many other such works, it was unique in the illustrations adorning it. Fewer than ten manuscript copies of the scroll remain of the many that used to exist, and three of them – written as scrolls – are kept at the National Library of Israel. There are slight variations in the text among the copies.
According to scholars, the most interesting of the three copies was created in the city of Tzfat or Safed in 1564 CE, by Uri Bar Shimon of Biale, a "Shadar" (a messenger sent from the Land of Israel to raise funds from Jewish communities abroad). Here’s what Ben Shimon wrote at the end of the manuscript:
“I copied this letter by letter from a letter completed in [1537 CE] and as I myself have been in most of the places mentioned above and I saw that none of his words fell to the ground [i.e., were found to be wrong or mistaken] and all his words were [in the general direction of truth] I believed him also on the rest and I copied it all [with great necessity] and this was on the fifth day [Thursday] on Taanit Esther in [the y]ear 5324 since Creation, here, Tzfat, [may it be built and established quickly in our day], said Uri Bar Rabbi Shimon of Bila.”
The scroll does begin with the oath “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem…” but since its primary focus is on the graves of various sages and holy figures, it does not continue with a description of Jerusalem but rather describes the tombs of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem. Only afterward does the scroll turn to Jerusalem and then north to Shchem or Nablus, east to Beth Shean and Tiberias, and then north again to Tzfat, west to Haifa and the Carmel Mountains, and from there – to the Lower Galilee.
The scroll doesn’t stop at the borders of the Land of Israel, and it also describes holy places and tombs outside of it as well: in Damascus, in Netzivin (today Nusaybin, Turkey), in Shushan (Susa, Iran) and in Egypt.
The scroll does begin with the oath “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem…” but since its primary focus is on the graves of various sages and holy figures, it does not continue with a description of Jerusalem but rather describes the tombs of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem. Only afterward does the scroll turn to Jerusalem and then north to Shchem or Nablus, east to Beth Shean and Tiberias, and then north again to Tzfat, west to Haifa and the Carmel Mountains, and from there – to the Lower Galilee.
The scroll doesn’t stop at the borders of the Land of Israel, and it also describes holy places and tombs outside of it as well: in Damascus, in Netzivin (today Nusaybin, Turkey), in Shushan (Susa, Iran) and in Egypt.
The scroll does begin with the oath “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem…” but since its primary focus is on the graves of various sages and holy figures, it does not continue with a description of Jerusalem but rather describes the tombs of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem. Only afterward does the scroll turn to Jerusalem and then north to Shchem or Nablus, east to Beth Shean and Tiberias, and then north again to Tzfat, west to Haifa and the Carmel Mountains, and from there – to the Lower Galilee.
The scroll doesn’t stop at the borders of the Land of Israel, and it also describes holy places and tombs outside of it as well: in Damascus, in Netzivin (today Nusaybin, Turkey), in Shushan (Susa, Iran) and in Egypt.
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tab1img1=“May God establish their merit for us, Amen”, the “Yichus Ha'avot” Scroll.
tab2img3=Description of the Cave of the Patriarchs in the “Yichus Ha’avot” Scroll.
tab3img3=Mention of the Rambam’s Tomb in the Scroll.
tab4img1=“These are the righteous outside the land, may they rest in peace”, from the Scroll.
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